Closing the gap in children's quality measures: a collaborative model.

The need for measures of the quality of healthcare provided to children and adolescents is well documented. However, children have been underrepresented in national healthcare quality measurement and reporting efforts. The Pediatric Data Quality Systems (Pedi-QS) Collaborative is addressing this gap.

Appendicitis 2000: variability in practice, outcomes, and resource utilization at thirty pediatric hospitals.

Background/purpose: To improve clinical results and resource utilization in the care of appendicitis in children, the authors examined the current practice and outcomes of 30 pediatric hospitals.

Methods: The Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS) database consists of comparative data from 30 free-standing Children's hospitals. The study population of 3,393 children was derived from the database by selecting the "Diagnosis Related Group Code" for appendicitis (APRDRGv12 164), ages 0 to 17 years, using discharges between October 1, 1999 and September 30, 2000.

Adult survivors of pediatric illness: the impact on pediatric hospitals.

Context: Patients now live well into adulthood surviving diseases with pediatric onset. The size and financial impact of this growing population is unknown.

Objective: To describe the demographics of adult inpatients in pediatric facilities and to assess the financial impact of providing care for these patients on freestanding children's hospitals.